From what I can tell so far, not a lot happened in Pittsburgh during July, except that the Pirates (again) sank into the ooze at the bottom of the National League, and City politics are (again) stinking up the joint.

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No offense, but the mayor being diagnosed with rare brain tumors and being sidelined due to the illness is hardly a light news month for Pittsburgh. Add to that the very successful All-Star game, the recent purging of high-ranking city officials, and the initiative to reduce city council, and it was a pretty eventful month. Maybe not all good news, but very significant events.

You're right that on a day-to-day level, lots happened. But I see relatively little that has the potential to shape the overall arc of the region's trajectory. The Mayor's illness is a serious personal tragedy. My own view, though, is while the drama is gripping, it has relatively little bearing on the future of the City and the region. Before the diagnosis, that future was mostly in the hands of the region's business and cultural leadership, and after the diagnosis, it remains there.

The All-Star Game, from what I read, was quite a nice event, with little or no lasting impact on the region. The most interesting All Star-related proposal for regional development that I heard -- free Wi-Fi downtown -- didn't happen on time, and it hasn't happened yet.

By your measure--i.e., something having "the potential to shape the overall arc of the region's trajectory"(!)--not a lot happens in Pittsburgh, or in most cities, for that matter, in the vast majority of months.

That being said, I'd say that Mayor O'Connor's illness could clear your high bar if he's unable to return to office.